Parliament Question: Fire Safety Preparedness Railway Stations of Gujarat

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2891 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.08.2026 FIRE SAFETY PREPAREDNESS RAILWAY STATIONS OF GUJARAT 2891. SHRI PARSHOTTAMBHAI RUPALA: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has proposes to take measures to modernise firefighting systems at every railway stations in Gujarat including periodic safety audits and specialised staff training and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether the Government has prepared a comprehensive, time-bound action plan to effectively respond to fire incidents in moving passenger and goods trains particularly in remote and inaccessible areas and if so, the details thereof; and (c) the details of the provision of on-board firefighting equipments, emergency communication systems, standard operating procedures for immediate response and joint mock drills, rapid response with local fire services and district administrations? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (c): Safety is accorded the highest priority on Indian Railways. As a consequence of various safety measures taken over the years, there has been a steep decline in the number of accidents. § Page 1 of 15234 165 135 55 16 31 2 2005-06 2009-10 2014-15 2019-20 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 (upto June 2026) Number of Consequential Train Accidents has reduced as shown in the table below:- Year Consequential Accidents 2014-15 135 2025-26 16 (88% lesser) 2026-27 ( upto June 2026) 2 Another important index showing improvement in safety in train operations is Consequential Accident Index, the details of which are as under:- Consequential Accident Index:- Year Accident Index 2014-15 0.11 2025-26 0.01 (91% lesser) Page 2 of 15 stnediccA niarT laitneuqesnoC fo .oNThis index measures number of consequential accidents as a ratio of total running kilometers of all trains. 𝐍𝐨. 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐱 = 𝐍𝐨.𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐗 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐮𝐧 The various safety measures taken to enhance safety in train operations are as under:- 1. On Indian Railways, the expenditure on Safety related activities has increased over the years as under:- Year Expenditure/Budget on Safety related activities (Rs. in Cr.) 2013-14 39,200 2022-23 87,336 2023-24 1,01,662 2024-25 1,14,022 2025-26 1,17,693 2026-27 1,20,389 2. Electrical/Electronic Interlocking Systems with centralized operation of points and signals have been provided at 6,671 stations up to 30.06.2026 to reduce accidents due to human failure. 3. Interlocking of Level Crossing (LC) Gates has been provided at 10,395 Level Crossing Gates up to 30.06.2026 for enhancing safety at LC Gates. 4. Complete Track Circuiting of stations to enhance safety by verification of track occupancy by electrical means has been provided at 6,671 stations up to 30.06.2026. Page 3 of 155. Detailed instructions on issues related with safety of Signalling, e.g. mandatory correspondence check, alteration work protocol, preparation of completion drawing, etc. have been issued. 6. System of disconnection and reconnection for S&T equipment as per protocol has been re-emphasized. 7. All locomotives are equipped with Vigilance Control Devices (VCD) to improve alertness of Loco Pilots. 8. Retro-reflective sigma boards are provided on the mast which is located two OHE masts prior to the signals in electrified territories to alert the crew about the signal ahead when visibility is low due to foggy weather. 9. A GPS based Fog Safety Device (FSD) is provided to loco pilots in fog affected areas which enables loco pilots to know the distance of the approaching landmarks like signals, level crossing gates, etc. 10. Modern track structure consisting of 60kg, 90 Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) rails, Prestressed Concrete Sleeper (PSC) Normal/Wide base sleepers with elastic fastening, fan shaped layout turnout on PSC sleepers, Steel Channel/H-beam Sleepers on girder bridges is used while carrying out primary track renewals. 11. Mechanisation of track laying activity through use of track machines like PQRS, TRT, T-28 etc. to reduce human errors. 12. Maximizing supply of 130m/260m long rail panels for increasing progress of rail renewal and avoiding welding of joints, thereby improving safety. 13. Ultrasonic Flaw Detection (USFD) testing of rails to detect flaws and timely removal of defective rails. 14. Laying of longer rails, minimizing the use of Alumino Thermic Welding and adoption of better welding technology for rails i.e., Flash Butt Welding. Page 4 of 1515. Monitoring of track geometry by OMS (Oscillation Monitoring System) and TRC (Track Recording Cars). 16. Patrolling of railway tracks to look out for weld/rail fractures. 17. The use of Thick Web Switches and Weldable CMS Crossing in turnout renewal works. 18. Inspections at regular intervals are carried out to monitor and educate staff for observance of safe practices. 19. Web based online monitoring system of track assets viz. Track database and decision support system has been adopted to decide rationalized maintenance requirement and optimize inputs. 20. Detailed instructions on issues related with safety of Track, e.g. integrated block, corridor block, worksite safety, monsoon precautions, etc. have been issued. 21. Preventive maintenance of railway assets (Coaches & Wagons) is undertaken to ensure safe train operations. 22. Replacement of conventional ICF design coaches with LHB design coaches is being done. 23. All unmanned level crossings (UMLCs) on Broad Gauge (BG) route have been eliminated by January 2019. 24. Safety of Railway Bridges is ensured through regular inspection of Bridges. The requirement of repair/rehabilitation of Bridges is taken up based upon the conditions assessed during these inspections. 25. Indian Railways has displayed Statutory “Fire Notices” for widespread passenger information in all coaches. Fire posters are provided in every coach so as to educate and alert passengers regarding various Do’s and Don’ts to prevent fire. These include messages regarding not carrying any inflammable material, explosives, prohibition of smoking inside the coaches, penalties etc. 26. Production Units are providing Fire detection and suppression system in newly manufactured Power Cars and Pantry Cars, Fire and Smoke Page 5 of 15detection system in newly manufactured coaches. Progressive fitment of the same in existing coaches is also underway by Zonal Railways in a phased manner. 27. Regular counselling and training of staff is undertaken. 28. Concept of Rolling Block introduced in Indian Railways (Open Lines) General Rules vide Gazette notification dated 30.11.2023, wherein work of integrated maintenance/ repair/replacement of assets is planned up to 52 weeks in advance on rolling basis and executed as per plan. The details of the Safety related works related to better maintenance practices, Technological improvements, better infrastructure and rolling stock etc. undertaken by Railways are tabulated below:- 2004-05 to 2014-15 to 2014-26 Vs. S.No. Item 2013-14 2025-26 2004-14 Technological Improvements 1. Use of high-quality 57,450 Km 1.63 Lakh Km More than 2.8 rails times (60 Kg) (Km) 2. Longer Rail Panels 9,917 Km 87,219 Km Nearly 9 times (260m) (Km) 3. Electronic 837 Stations 3,691 Stations More than 4 Interlocking times (Stations) 4. Fog Pass Safety As on As on 31.03.26: 352 times Devices (Nos.) 31.03.14: 31,693 Nos. 90 Nos. 5. Thick Web Switches Nil 35,971 Nos. (Nos.) Page 6 of 15Better Maintenance Practices 1. Primary Rail 32,260 Km 57,583 Km 1.78 times Renewal (Track Km) 2. USFD (Ultra Sonic 79.43 Lakh 2.25 Crore More than 2.8 Flaw detection) times Testing of Welds (Nos.) 3. Weld failures (Nos.) In 2013-14: In 2025-26: 93 % reduction 3,699 Nos. 272 Nos. 4. Rail fractures (Nos.) In 2013-14: In 2025-26: 92% reduction 2,548 Nos. 208 Nos. Better Infrastructure and Rolling Stock 1. New Track KM 14,985 Km 36,429 Km Almost 2.5 added (Track Km) times 2. Flyovers 4,148 Nos. 14,362 Nos. More than 3 (RoBs)/Underpasses times (RUBs) (Nos.) 3. Unmanned Level As on As on Removed crossings 31.03.14: 31.03.26:Nil (Nos.) on BG 8,948 (All eliminated by 31.01.19) 4. Manufacture of LHB 2,337 Nos. 49,366 Nos. More than 21 Coaches (Nos.) times Implementation of Kavach:- 1. Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system. Kavach is a highly technology intensive system, which requires safety certification of highest order (SIL-4). Page 7 of 152. Kavach aids the Loco Pilot in running of trains within specified speed limits by automatic application of brakes in case Loco Pilot fails to do so and also helps the trains to run safely during inclement weather. 3. The first field trials on the passenger trains were started in February 2016. Based on the experience gained and Independent Safety Assessment of the system by Independent Safety Assessor (ISA), three firms were approved in 2018-19, for supply of Kavach Ver 3.2. 4. Kavach was adopted as National ATP system in July, 2020. 5. Implementation of Kavach System involves following Key Activities:- a. Installation of Station Kavach at each and every station, block section. b. Installation of RFID Tags throughout the track length. c. Installation of telecom Towers throughout the section. d. Laying of Optical Fibre Cable along the track. e. Provision of Loco Kavach on each and every Locomotive running on Indian Railways. 6. Based on deployment of Kavach version 3.2 on 1465 RKm on South Central Railway and experience gained, further improvements were made. Finally, Kavach specification version 4.0 was approved by RDSO on 16.07.2024. 7. Kavach version 4.0 covers all the major features required for the diverse railway network. This is a significant milestone in safety for Indian Railways. Within a short period, IR has developed, tested and started deploying Automatic Train Protection System. 8. Major improvement in Version 4.0 includes increased Location Accuracy, Improved Information of Signal Aspects in bigger yards, Station to Station Kavach interface on OFC and Direct Interface to existing Electronic Interlocking System. With these improvements, Kavach Ver.4.0. is planned for large scale deployment over Indian Railways. Page 8 of 159. After extensive and elaborate trials, Kavach Version 4.0 has been successfully commissioned on 2,633 Route Kilometres as on 31.07.2026, covering the high density Delhi- Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes as below:- S. Section Progress N (RouteKm) o. (1) Delhi-Mumbai route: 1,423Rkm I Tilak Bridge – Junction cabin – Palwal – 1,327 Mathura – Kota-Nagda-Ratlam – Vadodra– Virar section ii Vadodara – Ahmedabad section 96 (2) Delhi – Howrah route: 1,210 Rkm i. Chipyana – Tundla– Kanpur – Subedarganj 563 section ii. Kanpur – Lucknow section 71 iii. Mirzapur – DDU (Excluding) Section 64 iv. DDU(FOC) –Bhabua Road section 50 v. Sasaram – Pheser section 43 vi. Gaya – Sarmatarn – Nimiaghat section 159 vii Chota Ambana - Bardhaman – Howrah section 260 10. In addition, track side Kavach implementation work has been taken up on 21,794 RKM covering all GQ,GD,HDN and identified sections of Indian Railways. 11. The total progress of key items of Kavach on Indian Railway sections are as under:- S. No. Item Progress i Laying of Optical Fibre Cable 11,547 Km ii Installation of Telecom Towers 1,721 Nos. Page 9 of 15iii Station Data Centre 1,009 Station iv Installation of Track side equipment 7,726 RKm v Provision of Kavach in Loco 6,290 Nos. 12. In addition, work for installation of Kavach in 7,190 Locomotives and 1,200 EMU/MEMU has been taken up. 13. Specialized training programmes on Kavach are being conducted at centralized training institutes of Indian Railways to impart training to all concerned officials. By now more than 94,000 technicians, operators and engineers have been trained on Kavach technology. This includes about 57,000 Loco Pilots & Assistant Loco Pilots. Courses have been designed in collaboration with IRISET. 14. The cost for provision of Track Side including Station equipment of Kavach is approximately Rs. 50 Lakhs/Km and cost for provision of Kavach equipment on locomotives is approximately Rs. 80 Lakh/Loco. 15. The funds utilized on Kavach works so far up to Jun’26 is Rs.3,875 Crores. The allocation of funds during the year 2026-27 is Rs.2,066 Crores. Kavach work is going at good pace in the entire country. Requisite funds are made available as per the progress of works. Fire Safety Measures:- Indian Railways is continuously engaged in mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery for all foreseeable hazards including fire incidents that might occur at railway stations and in trains due to some chance combination of factors, across all its Zones, including those serving the State of Gujarat as well as others. The important fire safety measures taken by Indian Railways at its railway stations are as follows: Page 10 of 151. Railway stations are provided with portable fire extinguishers to be used in case of fires. 2. Railway stations are also provided with fire buckets with sand and water to be used in case of fires. 3. Indian Railways ensures that its frontline staff is always prepared to address emergencies by giving them training on, Fire Fighting, First Aid Skills and Disaster Management have been integrated into the training modules for frontline staff such as Station Managers, Train Manager (Guards), Commercial-cum-Ticket Clerks, Loco Pilots, Assistant Loco Pilots etc. 4. Indian Railways Institute of Disaster Management (IRIDM), a Specialized Training Institute, conducts regular courses in Fire Fighting, First Aid, Trauma management, etc. to train first responders i.e. Train crew and on-board staff, such as Train Ticket Examiners, AC Coach Staff, and Escorting staff, who play a vital role in the 'Golden Hour’. 5. Proper communication protocols have been laid down for officials at railway stations and control rooms to contact the nearest fire brigade, police, medical facilities, ambulances, district administration, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, etc. Their contact numbers have been made available to all concerned railway authorities. 6. Relay rooms and electronic interlocking rooms at larger railway stations are being provided with automatic fire alarms. 7. Railway stations are equipped with control phones for the stations masters to immediately disconnect power supply to the overhead equipment (OHE) in case of fires from OHE. 8. Public address systems at railway stations can be used to guide the public for evacuation in case of emergencies like fires. Page 11 of 159. Announcements are made regularly to sensitize the passengers/ public regarding the importance of not carrying inflammable items 10. At larger railway stations, passenger luggage is scanned. 11. Drives are conducted during sensitive periods to prevent carriage of inflammable materials by passengers 12. Electrical systems on stations are maintained regularly to prevent any chance of fire due to electrical short-circuit. Miniature Circuit Breakers and Moulded Case Circuit Breakers are used in electrical panels. Emergency Lights are provided at stations. 13. Exits are well-marked at stations to aid the public in evacuation during emergencies. 14. Adequate water storage is available at larger railway stations equipped with coach watering facilities for use during fire emergencies. 15. Flame based cooking is not allowed on railway station platforms. 16. Regular audit/safety drive of all electrical installations in and around Railway stations and office buildings are being conducted. Fire safety in trains of Indian Railways encompasses all phases of design, manufacturing, maintenance and operation of trains in Indian Railways. To ensure that incidents of fire do not occur on trains of Indian Railways, a large number of steps have been taken, the more important of which are as follows: 1. Provision of Minimum two Fire Extinguishers in all coaches over Indian Railways. 2. Fire Detection & Suppression System has been provided in fire prone areas of Power cars and Pantry cars, as mentioned before. 3. Fire and smoke Detection system has been provided in coaches as per extant guidelines, as mentioned before. Page 12 of 154. Water mist type fire extinguishers are being provided on pantry cars and power cars in phased manner. 5. Provision of emergency windows in coaches for evacuation in case of fire. 6. Use of fire-retardant material as per global fire-retardant norms in coaches for seats/berths, panels, flooring, insulation, toilets etc forimproved fire safety. 7. Use of fire-retardant E-beam cable in coaches. 8. Use of different levels of protection in the form of fuses, Miniature Circuit breaker (MCBs) and Motor protection Circuit Breakers (MPCBs) in the electrical circuits to prevent the damage from electrical faults/surges. 9. Provision of Aerosol based fire suppression system in electrical cabinets. 10. Further, up-gradation of material in line with global standards is regularly being carried out with fitment of new generation material in Amrit Bharat & Vande Bharat Sleeper trains. 11. Display of "Fire Notices" for widespread information in all coaches to inform and alert passengers regarding various "Do's" and "Don'ts" to prevent fire. These include messages regarding not to carry any inflammable material, explosives, prohibition of smoking inside the coaches and penalties etc., as mentioned before. 12. Prohibition of flame based cooking in coaches. 13. There is a provision of 4 Emergency Talk Back Units in every coach of Vande Bharat. This facilitates communications of passenger with Train Manager/Loco-pilots in case of exigencies. Passenger Emergency Alarm Buttons have been provided in the Vande Bharat Train. Each coach has been provisioned with 4 such push buttons for emergency usage. Page 13 of 1514. There is an integrated help line called Rail Madad which can be accessed by users through the number 139 for seeking help during emergencies. While the above measures have helped Indian Railways to prevent the occurrence of fire incidents in the first place, Indian Railways is always prepared to effectively address emergencies like fires that can possibly be caused by chance combination of factors. Indian Railways is always prepared to respond in a quick and effective manner in case of any unusual incident including fire. In case of such an emergency, the first responders are the railway staffs who are trained in handling such emergencies effectively. Immediately on receipt of information regarding such emergencies, Indian Railways responds immediately utilizing its own setup, equipment, doctors, and staff, also coordinating with the state government and the district administration to start carrying out rescue and relief immediately. The initial focus is on saving lives, attending to the injured and providing succour to stranded passengers. Indian Railways has a network of 177 Accident Relief Trains (ARTs), 100 high capacity 140T Breakdown diesel-hydraulic cranes and 170 Accident Relief Medical Equipment (ARME) Scale-I placed at identified locations which cover the entire rail network. In addition, ARMEs Scale-II, Portable Medical Kits for accidents have also been provided at identified locations to render immediate medical support. ARMEs Scale-I are like hospital on wheels that are rushed to the site, fully equipped with medical equipment supplies and personnel. Additional equipment like road vehicles, earthmovers, ambulances etc are also requisitioned for attending to such accidents. Roles of every officer Page 14 of 15and staff in case of such emergencies are laid down and they are appropriately trained and empowered to discharge their duties. At the same time, on the report of any major unusual incident, including fire, Indian Railways immediately informs the local civil administration including district authorities, fire brigade, medical facilities, the police forces etc. as required, to assist in addressing the situation immediately and effectively. Systems and protocols have been put in place all over Indian Railways for coordinated response by both Railway as well as these other agencies. Procedures and guidelines for addressing emergency situations, including cases like fires, have been laid down in Disaster Management Plans of Zones and Divisions, General and Subsidiary Rules, Accident Manuals and Operating Manuals. Railway stations maintain and display list of nearest fire stations along with their telephone numbers as well as all Railway and non railway medical institutions, private practitioners and first-aiders available in the neighbourhood for immediate emergency response. Indian Railways has a well-developed system of conducting regular mock drills to ensure that its systems are fully prepared to handle any emergencies. Full-scale mock drills are conducted by divisions involving all rescue agencies from within Indian Railways as well as fire brigade, police, district authorities, medical systems and facilities, and disaster response forces. A total of 71 full scale mock drills were conducted during 2025-26 including four such drills in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhavnagar Divisions. ***** Page 15 of 15